Lahav Shani & Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra – Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 – CD

Lahav Shani, Chief Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for the past five years, conducts the Dutch ensemble in Bruckner’s epic Symphony No. 7. He admires the Austrian composer for his proverbially grand musical architecture, but also for his vision and the atmosphere he creates as he builds to mighty climaxes over extended periods “…from a hint of light to the whole world”.

As Shani reminds, in the Symphony No. 7 Bruckner pays tribute to his idol Wagner, who was dying at the time the work was taking shape. In particular, Bruckner introduces Wagner tubas (an instrument created for Der Ring des Nibelungen) into a symphony for the first time.

Shani’s sense for symphonic structure and drama, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic’s response to it, was evident in their Warner Classics recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 (released in 2022). Gramophone magazine’s reviewer praised “…an account where the feeling is refreshingly one of rediscovery …. Shani has a wonderful nose for atmosphere … A terrific disc.”

1 Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: I. Allegro moderato
2 Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: II. Adagio, sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
3 Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: III. Scherzo, sehr schnell
4 Symphony No. 7 in E Major, WAB 107: IV. Finale, bewegt, doch nicht schnell